Wednesday, May 27, 2015

On
the way into Burlington I saw my first camel. At least I think it was my first
camel. I can't recall ever seeing a camel before Friday afternoon. It was your
classic camel; two humps, mangy, kind of lopsided except it was by itself on a
farm in the middle of Vermont without any of its camel friends. Now, you should
know marijuana is legal in Vermont. However, none of us in the car had partaken
in the state’s liberties and we all saw the same camel. When Jason arrived the
next day, he too mentioned seeing the camel on Vermont State Route 7. Certain
that we could rule out hallucination, we Googled “Vermont Camel” and found
this. So, if you are ever driving to Burlington and see a camel on the side of
the road, that’s the story.

Other than that, the trip from Manhattan to Burlington was
pleasantly uneventful. At the last minute, I took the day off work so we could
beat the Memorial Day traffic. We made more pit stops than usual not because my
very pregnant wife needed to pee, but because I needed to pee from downing so
much water to stay hydrated. We didn’t have our first crisis until midway
through dinner Friday night. We had picked a touristy burger and beer joint out
of convenience and the conversation turned to our elite water bottles which
Josh and I planned to share. That’s when I realized I had left the carefully
selected bottles in the cabinet above the kitchen fridge. I went into panic
mode. I called Jason hoping he was still in NYC and could swing by the
apartment. He was not. I called the manufacturer of the bottles, a science
supply company in New Jersey (they were technically meant to clean chemistry
beakers, but we found they worked really well for taking fluid on the run) but
they were closed. I called the University of Vermont Chemistry Department,
which was also closed. Our best bet was the City Sports down the street. We
jogged over and found they had clear plastic bottles that would do the trick.
Crisis averted.

Checking out the start at the scenery on the shakeout

Saturday was spent trying to relax, but as is the day before
any marathon there was too much nervous energy to sit still. Josh and I went
for a 30-minute shakeout run and checked out the finish area. We stocked up on
good local beer. Attempts at a nap were futile. In the afternoon, we sat in the
living room of our rented apartment listening to My Morning Jacket records
decorating our back-up water bottles with pictures of our families, wives and
dogs that Josh had thoughtfully printed out. It was anxiety-relief through
rudimentary arts and crafts. Honestly, if there was an award for best decorated
elite water bottles it wouldn’t have even been a contest. One of the photos we
were going to tape to a bottle was a quote from professional runner/movie maker
Alexi Pappas. When I read it, it caused me to reflect on the 15-week training
cycle that got us to Vermont.

“Racing is not about how you feel. It’s about how you feel
about how you feel.”

I felt pretty good about how I felt. The build up to
Burlington was nearly perfect. Josh and I built a flexible training plan
that worked great with our schedules and included a perfect balance of speed
and stamina. I missed zero days to illness or injury. I did have a nasty cold
in April that caused me to skip a 10k race and left me less than 100% for my
half marathon, but getting sick once during a training block is pretty typical.
We nailed all of the key workouts most notably our marathon simulation; a 26.2K
effort meant to mimic race day in every way. We ran the 16.3 miles at an
average pace of 5:44 and it felt comfortably hard. Mentally, I was in a much
better place than my last marathon in Boston of 2013. I was sleeping again and
eating right. Most importantly, I was truly having fun and loving running.
There was no doubt we were both in shape for a great race.

Elite bottles ready to go. This was Josh's idea and it was awesome!

Saturday evening, we went to the expo. I tried and failed to
win an eight-pack of Heady Topper. I tried and succeeded at changing the age on
my bib from 34 to my actual age of 31. Josh dropped off our water bottles, four
filled with lemon lime electrolyte powder mixed with water, two filled with a
chocolate cherry Clif Shot caffeine gel mixed vigorously with water. Along with
the photos on each bottle were instructions on at which mile they should be
placed.

Saturday night was a smorgasbord of pre-race feasts. For
Josh it was pasta and meatballs brought in from Zabar’s in Manhattan. Jason pan
seared some chicken and roasted some potatoes. I ordered sushi and green salad
and followed it with a dessert of fresh cut mango and a couple spoonfuls of Ben
and Jerry’s Banana Peanut Butter Greek Frozen Yogurt. Our families all stopped
by to wish us luck and then we all turned in early. I was surprised to fall
asleep pretty quickly.

The alarm was set for 6am, but I was up at 5:45 and ready to
roll. I went into the kitchen and made two frozen chia waffles – the same
waffles I ate before every big workout – and topped them with peanut butter and
jam. I washed them down with a cup of coffee and water with a Nuun tablet. I
put on my race costume and the appropriate amount of Body Glide and made multiple
trips to the bathroom to ensure I’d make zero trips to the bathroom during the
actual race. Just before stepping out the door, I ate half of a Smooth
Caffeinator Picky Bar for an extra boost.

Just before heading out the door

Our apartment was less than 800 meters from the starting
line, so we jogged over around 7:20am, 43 minutes before the scheduled start of
the race. It was 55 degrees and partly cloudy, a little warm but nothing race-altering.
Jason and Josh were both allowed access to the elite bathrooms. I was not, but
that was not an issue. We stood side-by-side as they gave the final race
instructions. And then we were off.

Our race plan called for the early miles to be run in the
5:50-5:55 range with a faster split allowed in the first mile. We were right on
pace through mile one, but picked it up a bit as we went a long. The race
begins by winding through city streets for three miles before heading onto a
highway. Just after mile three, we saw the first elite aid station approaching
and Josh instinctively grabbed our bottle from the table. We both immediately
knew something was wrong. First of all, we weren’t supposed to see our first
bottle until just after mile four. Secondly, it was the caffeine mixture we had
not planned on until mile nine. Clearly, we were going to pass by this spot
again in six miles, which is when we were meant to grab the bottle. I don’t
know what, if any, effect the early caffeine had on us. We had both taken
caffeine prior to the race so it ended up being a lot of caffeine in a short
amount of time.

Waving to my family

The crowds disappear when the race enters the highway for a
five-mile out-and-back stretch. There, we found ourselves in a pack with a trio
of runners from Boston who refused to take over pacing duties. Josh, Jason and
I set the pace for them the entire stretch. We went through the 10k at 36:07
which was a little fast, but not suicidal. I know those tracking me online got
an alert saying I went through the 10k in 34:12. That on the other hand, would
have been suicidal. I have no idea where that data came from. We skipped the
elite fluids at mile four knowing we’d pass by it again at mile eight and could
grab it then to make up for the missing bottle at mile nine.

Mile nine brought the first surprise of the course for me. I
knew there was a hill there, but I did not expect it to be so steep. When we
got to the top, I made a comment to Josh and Jason about how much it sucked but
neither responded. We followed that mile with an unusually quick mile 10 (5:38);
a nice downhill reprieve during which we were all able to give a wave to our
cheering families. It wasn’t long after this as we wound our way through some
neighborhoods that I realized Jason had dropped off the back of our trio. I
knew he hadn’t been able to train for the race as well as he had hoped and that
he might just try to run a time that allowed him to run Boston next year. I
could also tell Josh wasn’t feeling great at this point, but put off asking for
another two miles because I knew the answer was one I didn’t want to hear.

We went through the halfway point in 1:16:44, right on pace
for our goal of 2:34-2:36, but Josh had told me his breathing felt off and he
had started to slow. I slowed down through the elite fueling station hoping the
rough patch would pass. I, on the other hand, had just come out of a rough
patch and was feeling the best I had since the start of the race. It was really
hard to make the decision to set out on my own even after Josh told me to go.
This was not in the plan. We trained together and we were supposed to finish
together. Still, I knew it was the right thing to do. He said, “Go after it. Be
smart!” and I was on my own. On my own like that damn camel without any camel
friends.

I entered “No Man’s Land” at mile 14 on the south side of
the Burlington bike path. 5:50s were coming with little effort at this point
and I was able to pass some runners without even trying. At mile 15, the course
climbs the steepest hill of the race. I knew it was coming and allowed myself
to back off a bit and not worry about the split. I made it to the top without
losing too much steam and hoped to myself that it would be an 11 mile cruise to
the finish from there.

The thing about 11 miles is that it’s a long way. Think
about going on 11 mile run at a relatively easy pace. It’s a substantial day’s
work. Now think about going on an 11 mile run after running 15 miles. When you
look at it that way, it’s pretty daunting. But I felt good and that’s not how I
was thinking. My pace had settled into the high 5:50s, but I was OK with that.
As I hit the mile 16 marker, I knew all I had to do was maintain a 6:00-6:05
pace to run 2:35:xx and a PR was probable.

Once Josh and I separated, I no longer had access to our
elite fluids. Only Josh could grab them. I had planned for this scenario and
was carrying two back-up gels. Of course, there were water and Gatorade
stations all over the course. The problem was, I didn’t practice with these
fluids or gels. I tried to take a Gu at mile 17 and I barely got a taste before
spitting it right back out. There was no way I was going to be able to choke it
down. I knew I needed electrolytes, so I grabbed a Gatorade from the next
table. I don’t know how long it had been since I drank full-sugar Gatorade but
it sure was a shock to the system. It tasted like someone had melted down a
cheap lollipop and put it in a cup. These issues aside, I still felt pretty
good and foolishly thought if I could make it mile 20 I was in the clear.

I hit mile 20 in 1:58:51. My pace had only dropped a few
seconds. Since we were winding through cul-de-sacs and quaint neighborhoods, I
attributed the slight slowdown to the huge amount of turns. I passed at least
three people during this stretch. I was feeling tired, but another 10k did not
seem too daunting. Then, somewhere right before mile 22 my quads decided to
stop working. It was like someone flipped the “off” switch. All of the sudden,
they were done for the day.

Josh's dad got this great shot of the final turn

What followed was an agonizing four mile ride on the caboose
of the pain train. If you are still feeling strong, the final stretch of the
marathon course is a lovely finish. It’s a flat if not slightly downhill jaunt
through a tree-lined bike path along Lake Champlain. I appreciated none of
that. I just wanted it to be over. With three miles to go, I took a popsicle
from a child. As each mile got slower, my hopes of a PR slipped away and I knew
there was no way to salvage it. I was actually running just under 7:00 pace but
it felt so much slower. Runners would pass me and I would try to feed off their
speed and hang on but I couldn’t. With less than two miles to go, a guy with
long hair passed me and said, “You’ll have to run harder than that if you want
to break 2:40.” I wanted to punch him, but wasn’t sure I could afford the
energy.

With less than 400 meters to go, I turned onto the grassy
finishing stretch and saw my family again – my mom, dad, sister,
brother-in-law, niece and aunt - all cheering wildly. Lauren started running
along the fence that separated the spectators from the runners and even though
she’s eight months pregnant she was keeping up with me just fine. A guy wearing
goggles and basketball shorts sprinted past me which would have been
devastating if I couldn’t tell from his bib that he was a relay runner.
Pictures from this stretch show just how weak my quads were by the end of this
race. It appears as I’m heavily favoring my right side; lopsided again like the
camel. As I crossed the line, the announcer said something about me smiling
which certainly wasn’t true. 2:40:35. My immediate feeling wasn’t relief. It
was disappointment.

I’d had a better day than Josh and Jason. After we split,
Josh thrice vomited a substance the resembled the stuff that dinosaur spit on
Newman in Jurassic Park. The fact that he finished under those conditions is a
testament to the size of his huevos. Jason dropped out at mile eighteen and
subsequently had to walk up and then back down a hill to get home. When we all
met back up again we were a battered bunch in need of beers.

my niece Halle made it hard not to smile even after that race

I have nothing but good things to say about the Vermont City
Marathon. Everything about it is first class. I was admittedly initially bitter
about not being included in the elite field, but I respect how they stuck to
their rules. In the end it worked out just fine. The race staff was helpful and
approachable and it was obvious the volunteers were having a good time. The
course was well-marked and well-staffed. It’s incredibly spectator-friendly. I
saw my family four times including at the finish. On top of all that,
Burlington is a really cool town. It reminded me a lot of Oswego with its size,
proximity to the lake, and youthful vibe, not to mention the ice cream and
beer.

I don’t know what went wrong in the race and I haven’t spent
a lot of time dwelling on it. I won’t second guess our training or preparation
in any way. I won’t blame the weather. There’s a chance we went out a little
fast, but there’s a better chance that it just wasn’t our day. That happens
with the marathon. It’s not worth beating myself up over and honestly, I’m
surprisingly OK with it all.

And here’s why: It wasn’t a great race. But it was a great
weekend. It started with a great road trip – camel, and all – with two of our
best friends. When we got to Vermont, we all got to see the people we love the
most. I am so grateful my family made the trip just to watch me run. Lauren and
I got to spend one last weekend away together before our family becomes a trio.
Now, it’s on to our next marathon. Baby Lentil (temporary name). The race is
scheduled to start sometime around June 28th.

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Yeah, I’m still doing it
on a fairly regular and serious basis. A co-worker asked me yesterday if I just
drank beer now which was simultaneously flattering and concerning. I've actually been training for the Vermont City Marathon in Burlington (May 24th)
since February, but have spared everyone the (boring) details of speed workouts
and long runs. To sum it up as briefly as possible: Things are going
frighteningly well. Workouts, sleep, overall health: A+ for all three. Ok,
maybe B+ for sleep, but that’s as good as it gets for me. I’m choosing not to over-analyze that and just keep on keeping on as they say.

Sunday was my first
chance to see how all the miles and tough efforts translated to a race setting.
My best bud/training partner Josh and I signed up for the Unite Rutgers Half
Marathon for a couple of reasons:

1.It’s 6 weeks out from the marathon which
leaves maximum time for recovery and to work on any weak spots.

2. It’s a fairly big race (6,000) with a top
three finishers historically somewhere in the 1:10-1:12 range.

3. The course has a lot of turns, but looks flat.

4.It’s free (if you have run 1:11 or
faster)

5.Finisher’s medal that has a spinny-thing in
the middle.

The original goal was to
run together, PR and possibly go 1-2. But the best laid plans...well, you know
the rest. Josh got sick the week of the race and couldn't run although he did
still drive me to New Brunswick and provide invaluable moral and logistical support before, during and after the race. I
adjusted my goals accordingly. I ran my half-marathon PR (1:11:19) under
perfect conditions in the 2012 NYC Half Marathon. I had one of the best runners
I know pacing me. The weather was ideal and the course was fast. Not to mention
I was in really good shape. The stars will probably never align like that
again. That’s not defeatist. It’s realistic. I’m cool with that PR. Regardless,
a much smaller race that would likely be a solo effort was not exactly the best
setting to even attempt breaking it.

On the starting line. Photo Credit: Josh Lerch

Based on workouts, I toed
the line hoping to run somewhere in the 1:12s and finish in the top 3. The
night before the race I came up with a simple race plan.

1.Go out at 5:30 pace – no faster.
Don’t freak out about 5:35. If 5:25s feel possible in the latter half of
the race, go with it.

2.Run perfect tangents. The course has many turns, some of them very sharp.

3.Do what it takes not to end up no-man’s land.

As soon as the race
started, I took the lead which would have been a mistake if I weren't right on
pace. By the end of the first mile, I was in a pack with three guys. This
lasted until mile three when one of the guys picked up the pace and another
fell off. Going with the guy in first would have been a suicide mission. I
thought about it briefly, picking up the pace to 5:20 for mile 3.
Then, I made a decision that goal number one trumps goal number three and there
I was in no man’s land. The next six miles were near perfect. In fact, miles
1-9 were right on pace ranging from 5:28-5:34 with the exception of the 5:20.
I was 34:00 at 10k and 36:02 at the halfway point. The course was not nearly as
flat as I expected. There were no major hills, just several small climbs that
added up. I was running perfect tangents with my GPS watch beeping at each mile
marker. The course was a bit unorthodox. It was mostly within the Rutgers
campus and utilized service roads and even a greenway. There were three spots where
you had to turn around at a cone. I also found it odd there was not a single
clock on the course.

Thumbs up still at mile 6

After passing mile 9 in 5:28
I was pretty confident my average pace wouldn't drop too dramatically over the last
four miles and 1:12:xx was in the bag. I was feeling tired and lonely, but
I was mentally still in the game. My watched clicked over to mile 10 before I
saw the mile marker, but I figured I’d see it soon. Another minute went by
before I got to the official marker. Had I really just run a 6:42 mile?
While Garmins are certainly not 100% accurate, I was certain I hadn't and
things would sort themselves out. At this point, I could see the guy in third
was closing the gap on me. I must not have been thinking straight because my
reaction was one of relief. I figured when he caught me I could just stay with
him. We hit mile 11 (still way off) and he was right on my shoulder. We stayed
stride for stride for the next 1.75 miles, our pace at a steady 5:40 with
both a new headwind and exhaustion contribute to the slowdown.

With just over a quarter
mile to go (on my watch – I was still hoping the course would even out), I made
a move and pulled away by two strides. It was all I had left and in my head, I
knew if he came back, I’d be a sitting duck. I couldn't see the finish line,
but imagined it was right around the next turn. I made the turn and was staring
up at a hill. The finish line was at least 400 yards away. I had gambled and lost.
I held on to 5:30 pace for the next quarter mile even as I got passed and fell
to third place. I crossed the line in 1:13:55 well short of any primary, secondary
or even tertiary goals I had set for myself.

1, 2 & 3

I hate when runners
complain a course is long or short. When I ran the Runners World Half Marathon
in October, I didn't get a perfect 13.1 on my watch either, but it was within
what I would call the normal range. In fact, I don’t think I've ever run a race
of any distance that measures perfectly on the GPS. That’s a given. But .20-.25
is pretty significant. In the 24 hours after the race it was hard not to think
about it. I needed some sort of validation. I emailed the race director who
confirmed that Rutgers campus security made them change the course just one
hour before the race. They had to move mile 10 at 7:05am. She said it had been hastily
re-marked and re-measured, but obviously not re-certified.

Despite how it might
sound, I really enjoyed this race. It was well-organized and well-attended. The
parking situation was convenient. There were ample porta-potties. The water
stations were well-staffed and evenly-placed. The t-shirts were dri-fit and
decent quality. And get this: The awards were early! The trophies were big
enough to pour a beer in which is also a plus. The long course appears to have
been because of circumstances outside the race director’s control and they
responded to my inquiry almost immediately. In a time where road races have
been turned into big-corporate money makers where runners pay absurd amounts of
money to literally be a faceless number, it’s nice to run a race with 6,000
runners that has all the amenities of a big event but still feels like the
people in charge are approachable.

The time on the clock may
not have said what I had hoped, but I can walk away from this one feeling like
I’m still on track. On to Burlington!

Saturday, April 11, 2015

When I decided to drink 40 beers over the course of the 40 nights of lent, I sort of poked fun at the idea of sacrificing something. "I'm giving up not drinking a delicious beer every night." I said. For the first 36 days it was hardly a sacrifice. It was a joy. At some points I worried I might not be able to return to NOT drinking a beer after work. Then I got the worst cold of my life.

I've had a lot of colds. I come down with one roughly twice a year. I'm always a big baby about it. I'm not exaggerating when I say this thing was a monster. It was concentrated evil. It came on quickly, lasted for three horrible days and then suddenly as it came it disappeared. At its apex I couldn't get out of bed or even open my eyes because of the pressure. Beer was out of the question. Joke was on me. I could have been a trooper and drank right through the cold, but I crumbled. It was just one night. Still, it took me off course and perhaps proved I'm not as tough as I set out to be.

It became 40 Beers 41 Nights which certainly doesn't have the same ring to it. Here are the final four.

Wednesday - Hotter than Helles - Cigar City Brewing (Helles Lager 5%) - I picked this beer because I could feel the cold coming on and I didn't want to waste something hoppy and flavorful on weakened taste buds. The guy who writes Drunkspin recently described Helles Lager as the kind of beer you would serve to your buddy who prefers a Bud to a craft beer. It's a very malty, generic tasting style. It's neither offensive or remarkable. I don't particularly like it, but if I am going to drink a Helles Lager, it's going to be from Tampa's excellent Cigar City Brewing.

Thursday - Nyquil - Proctor and Gamble (Cough Syrup 10%) - As a person with a life long aversion to liquid medicine, I had never cracked a bottle of a Nyquil. That's how bad this cold was. Nyquil pours a dark, creamy green. It has aromas of melted down Vicks Vapor Rub and unrecognizable chemicals. The initial taste is mint and nail polish remover with hints of tears. It finishes with the taste of regurgitation. Seriously. How did kids drink this stuff to get wasted? I tried to do more than one shot one night and spit it right back out. I do not recommend this drink,

Friday - Trou Ble Some - Off Color Brewing (Gose 4.3%) - I wasn't quite ready to start drinking serious beer yet. When I saw this at Whole Foods on a cough drop and Kleenex run, I remembered Lauren buying a bottle at one of our favorite beer bars and thought it would be light enough to drink while ill. It's a Gose which means it's unfiltered with a low ABV and devoid of any hop taste. This particular beer contains coriander. I didn't look it up myself, but I am sure if you Google "is coriander good for a cold?" someone on the internet will tell you it is. This beer reminds me a lot of Dogfish Head's Namaste. It's very light, but full of spice and citrus flavors. It's not something I gravitate toward, but a great representation of its style.

Saturday - Wookey Jack - Firestone Walker Brewing Company (Black Ale 8.3%) - I couldn't finish his list without something from California's stellar Firestone Walker. Wookey Jack is a heavier, darker version of its signature Union Jack IPA. Wookey is hard to nail down. While technically a black ale, it has characteristics of a stout/porter and a double IPA the latter of which I think it most resembles. This is a very hoppy beer with a lot of different tastes classically found in darker IPAs. There's some chocolate and coffee and at the end there is a nice bitterness. This beer isn't available year round, so I am glad I got my hands on a bottle.

Sunday - Flower Power - Ithaca Beer Company (IPA 7.5%) - I wanted to end with a beer that had some sentimental meaning behind it. As I mentioned earlier, my go-to beers used to be Sam Adams Boston Lager and Guinness. These are still beers I will happily drink today. But, when I was drinking them on a regular basis, the concept of a hoppy beer was foreign and something I had little appetite for. I grew up in the Finger Lakes and Flower Power was the beer that changed my mind. It was widely available and at first it didn't taste good to me at all. After I tried it a few times, I developed a real taste for it. This beer has still got it. It's a consistently good IPA with a bit of a sweet malty taste and an incredibly refreshing finish. This is what an IPA should be.

Alright, here's the hard part. Ranking the beers. If I made this list tomorrow everything from 6 on would probably be a in a different order. I would enthusiastically drink beers 1-33 on this list any day. I love the breweries from 34-39, but those beers are ranked low because of the style. I would rather not drink beer than drink number 40 again.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

The more hoppy beer you drink, the harder it is to enjoy the
lighter stuff. It’s not that all lighter stuff is bad. It’s just that it stops
tasting like beer and therefore doesn't satisfy that beer fix I find myself
jonesing for at the end of a long night. Then again, maybe it’s just that it
hasn't been warm yet this year and once the temperature spikes, witbiers and session
lagers will be refreshing.

36 beers into this thing, I’m realizing something else. I’m
running out of beers to try. There are way more than 36 beers out there, but I’m
trying not to do the same brewery twice and I've nearly exhausted the beer
stores most convenient to my home and office. I might have to get on a bus or a
train to make the final week work.

Wednesday – Ten Fidy – Oskar Blues Brewery – (Russian Imperial Stout 10.5%) – I've always
avoided purchasing this despite my curiosity because a 4-pack sells for $19.
And this is not the kind of beer you are going to drink more than one of in a single sitting. I finally caved this week figuring what I didn't drink would age gracefully.
Perhaps it costs so much because it looks and feels like crude oil. Ten Fidy
pours a deep black and comes out of the can (stouts are best in a can) thick. You
can smell the alcohol. Its taste is very creamy with a hint of chocolate and
it’s not as boozy as a beer with such a high ABV could be. This is a great beer
to sit and sip and I don’t think I’ll have a problem finishing off the other
three.

Thursday – Calabaza Blanca – Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales (Witbier
4.8%) – See preamble. This is the polar opposite of the beer I drank last
night. I've really enjoyed this beer in the past. This time, it went down like
a cold glass of apple juice. I love a cold glass of apple juice, but not as a
substitute for beer. This is a very citrusy, lightly carbonated beer that you
could easily drink multiple bottles of on a hot day. I’ll come back to it when
it’s 90 degrees.

That's Lauren's belly in the background

Friday – Alpha Male – Alphabet City Beer Company (IPA
7.2%) – After two nights of going to the extremes, it’s time to go back to
the basic IPA. This one is from a small and relatively new brewery in Lower
Manhattan, but it appears to have been contract brewed up in Clifton, NY (near
Albany). I had heard good things, so I was happy to see it on the shelf at the
Whole Foods on Columbus Avenue. This beer sets out to be hoppy, but is not
meant to dominate your taste buds. It goes for subtle and it achieves
that. Nothing about this beer was overly exciting, but it tasted nice and went
down easy. At its current price, I’d buy it again.

Saturday – East Coast Lager – Cricket Hill Brewing
Company (American Pale Lager 4.0%) –
I don’t know what possessed me to buy a beer with a 4% ABV and then to drink it
on a Saturday night. I think I just saw that it was local and put it in my mix
and match six pack. Listen, I don’t want to sound cruel, but I also don’t want
to mince words. This beer is awful. It tasted like Miller Lite. Miller Lite is
a fine taste if you bought a bunch of Miller Lites to pound during the NCAA
Tournament. It’s not a fine taste when you aren't expecting it. I was drinking
this with a buddy who’s reaction was “What is that taste?” That’s not a
good first impression. Fortunately, I also drank a Stone Enjoy By 4.20.15 and a Boulevard
Brewing The Calling on this night, both of which were delicious.

Monday – T IPA – The Schalfly Taproom (IPA 7.2%) – Today I started to come
down with a cold. When your throat is scratchy and you have just a little bit
of post-nasal drip, beer just doesn't sound as appealing. It doesn't taste as
good either. I guess that’s where this really becomes a Lenten sacrifice.
Saturday’s beer would have worked better today. Fortunately, my judgment wasn't
too skewed to recognize that this Schlafly (which I had never heard of)
selection is another excellent, drinkable IPA. It was very crisp and drinkable
with no bitterness. When I think of beer from St. Louis, Missouri, I think of
Budweiser. Now, I’ll think of this instead.

Tuesday – Kuka Coffee & Cream Stout – Andean Brewing Company (Sweet Stout 5.5%)
– Before I cracked this beer, I googled “do coffee stouts contain caffeine?” Still not feeling well, I didn't want to lose precious sleep. I
got distracted before I found a definitive answer and poured it anyways. It
looked perfectly delicious in a coffee mug which I thought was appropriate.
This beer is very new. I can’t find a whole lot about it on the beer internets.
It’s local (Rockland County, NY) and is probably just now getting distributed.
I’m always excited when I really enjoy a local beer. Of course, coffee stouts
are my sweet spot, so unless you put battery acid in it, I’ll probably lap it
up like a dog. This one features more of a coffee taste than a sweet taste. It’s
smooth and low carbonation and would taste great with a slice of cake.

Friday, March 27, 2015

There’s
an attitude among beer nerds (snobs?) that big equals bad. If I can get your
beer at the 7-11, it’s just toilet water with a pretty label. This is often
true and that’s why beers from evil, giant multi-national beer conglomerates
were not included in the 40 Beers 40 Nights list. That gets tougher as big
companies dress up brands to fool you and InBev (Anheuser Busch) buys breweries
like Goose Island and Elysian. However, it’s not always true. Some of the
breweries that started the “craft beer movement” have become major independent
corporations with huge distribution arms while still brewing delicious
beverages.

I
live in New York City and that makes it easy for me to find a wide variety of
beers. I've learned that if there is something I want a store in some hipster
neighborhood or some weirdo on the internet will have it. Not everyone is so
lucky. In some places Sierra Nevada is as crafty as it gets and that’s just fine because
Sierra Nevada still makes really good beer.

That’s
what this week is about. It’s about the breweries a lot of people have written
off for being too big when instead we should be thanking them for reminding us
that not all beer has to be Coors. It’s about the breweries that are putting quality
beers in stores across the country that everyone can buy. For each brewery, I
tried to pick a beer that shows these breweries are still trying new things and
still have something to offer beside the flagship style for those who like to
be a little more adventurous.

Wednesday – Smoked Porter With Vanilla Bean – Stone Brewing Company (Porter 5.9%) –
You can buy Stone’s Arrogant Bastard
at a gas station on the interstate and if the situation presents itself you
should seize the opportunity. This "limited edition" (whatever that means)
winter porter was picked out for me by a friend and it’s been sitting in my
cabinet since December. But with two days left in the season, now seemed like a
good time to drink it. If I have learned one thing during this experiment, it’s
that I like porters more than I thought.The smoke and vanilla tastes in this beer came
through well and even though it was a 22 ounce, I had no problem finishing it
all since it is relatively low ABV. I probably would have never picked this out
on my own, so I’m glad I someone else did.

Thursday – Bigfoot Ale –
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company (Barleywine 9.6%) – This is another
“winter” beer and it definitely warms your core. Barleywine is always strong
and intense so no surprise that one bottle of this beer left me asleep on the
couch with Netflix cycling through episodes of “Parks and Recreation”. Bigfoot
Ale starts off sweet and hoppy then hits you with a pretty boozy finish. I am
just starting to get into this style. So far, I like it and am curious to try
some other examples. I wish I had bought two bottles so I could age one for a
couple of years.

belong on this list. I can always find this beer and
several other Founders styles in any store I walk into. Maybe that’s because I
am actively looking for it. It didn't crack the top
25 on the American Brewers’ Association list of biggest craft breweries by
volume. In retrospect, I wish I had given this spot to Bell’s Two-Hearted Ale
which is also from Michigan and comes from a brewery that is 7th on
that very same list. Not that I regret drinking the Breakfast Stout which is
absolutely on my top 10 list of favorite beers. It is simply the best
representation of the style I have ever had. The coffee and chocolate flavors
come through so nicely that I can see myself actually drinking this with
breakfast. Maybe I will.

Adams and Seirra Nevada started the craft beer
movement. Dogfish Head took it to the next level. 60 Minute IPA is the beer
everyone has had. I went with one I had never even heard of. It wasn't until I
got home that I realized this brown ale has a 12% ABV. Good thing it was a
Saturday night. Aged in some sort of rare Paraguayan wood, Palo Santo Marron
(Translation: Holy Tree Brown) pours very dark and thick. It has a smoky,
sweet, almost caramel taste combined with the obvious alcohol taste. It’s hard
to mask 12%. It tastes and feels much more like a strong stout than a brown
ale. This is a sipping beer and I’m not really sure how I will finish my
four-pack.

Monday – Brooklyn Blast! – Brooklyn Brewery (Double IPA 8.4%) – In New York City, parties with
an open bar have Bud Light, Heinekin and then a Brooklyn selection for those
who want something good or for those who want to hold something that says
“Brooklyn” on it. Nothing from Brooklyn belongs in the same sentence as those
other two beers, but their flagship selections aren't anything to go crazy over
either. In fact, Brooklyn Brewery lags far behind it’s younger Brooklyn
neighbor Six Point when it comes to the quality of its year-round offerings. Still, when
Brooklyn is on, it’s on. Local 1, Local 2 and Cuvee’ Noir are spectacular. I
had never tried Brooklyn Blast! This is in part due to the fact that its name
contains an exclamation point. That aside, this is a surprisingly
solid Double IPA. It’s a little bitter, but it belongs in the conversation with
other widely-available top notch DIPAs.(!)

Tuesday – Rebel Rouser – Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams) (Double IPA 8.4%) – Sam Adams epitomizes
everything I said about breweries getting too big to be considered good. To be
fair, it deserves a lot of the heat it takes. Boston Lager is like Starbucks
coffee. It’s fine but you’ll find something better and more interesting across
the street. But like Starbucks it was groundbreaking. Starbucks was
mass-produced good coffee in a time of Folgers. Boston Lager was mass-produced
good beer in a time where options were limited. Sam Adams was the first brewery
I felt any loyalty toward. In the early 2000s, I’d always go back to college
with a 12 pack of their seasonal lager. I still buy Summer Ale if only for
nostalgia. As the industry boomed, Sam Adams stayed stagnant. Every once in a
while, they put out a winner, but why mess with what’s working? Sam Adams is the
top selling craft beer in the country by a mile. They don’t have to get
creative to make money. But the Rebel series launched last year shows they
still have a couple of tricks up their sleeve. The Rebel IPA is a solid every
day IPA. The Rebel Rouser is a very solid second-tier Double IPA. It's crisp with a
pleasantly bitter finish that lingers a bit. I have a list of beers that I’ll buy six packs of
just to have when I’m looking for something satisfying and refreshing, but not
overly fancy. I'm happy to discover this belongs on that list.

Lagunitas,
my favorite of the “too big to be cool” breweries is not on this list only
because I drank its Cappuccino Stout last week. It pained me not to include
Goose Island, but now that it’s owned by InBev, I just can’t get excited about
it.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

If you follow me on Instagram (I'm sorry), you know I am attempting to
get creative with my nightly beer photos. I've included a screen shot of “Better
Call Saul”, babies and even videos that always show poor pouring technique
because I’m holding the camera with one hand and pouring with the other. But, I’m
running out of ideas. This is partly because there are only so many ways to photograph
beer in my living room or kitchen and partly because I’m not at my most
creative after a full day at work. Oh, and also because I don’t think about it
until the last possible second. So, if you have any ideas let me know.

bunch
of Vermont beer from a guy on Craigslist. I wasn’t going to buy Fiddlehead
because I had never heard of it and really just wanted Heady Topper. The guy
ended up talking me into getting two cans of Second Fiddle and I am glad I did.
All three beers I bought from him (Sip of Sunshine, Heady Topper and Second
Fiddle) were double IPAs and all three were fantastic. I paid $90 for eight
cans and I will tell you it was worth every penny. Seeing as how they were all
the same style of beer, they were easy to compare. Sip of Sunshine was the
clear winner, but Second Fiddle was a respectably distant second. It’s less
citrusy and more hoppy than the Sip of Sunshine, but equally as refreshing.
Actually, Second Fiddle is a lot more like Heady than Sip of Sunshine in
presentation, smell and taste however I think it hides the ABV better making it
a bit more drinkable.

Bfo seen in this file photo

Thursday – Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale – Boulevard Brewing (Saison 8.5%) – For
months, I have patiently awaited the NYC arrival of Boulevard beers. My buddy Bfo
who lives in Kansas City raves about them and the rest of the beer-drinking
internet seems to agree with his assessment. They finally arrived last week and
since Tank 7 is their flagship brew, I thought I would try it first even though
it’s a saison. It definitely has the Belgian spice taste which is the taste I
don’t enjoy in saisons, but it’s not overwhelming and it’s not the only
thing happening with this beer. It’s pretty full-bodied for a saison and it’s
grapefruit and orange flavors come through nicely. It’s still a saison and thus, not
something I would order off a menu, but for folks who like this style it’s a
must try. I also picked up a Boulevard IPA (The Calling) so I could try a style
I actually enjoy, and it was very solid.

Friday – Bon Bon 2x TNT – Single Cut Beersmiths (Double IPA 8.2%) – You can’t really say you've
tried a beer if it’s your 6th or 7th beer of the night.
The only other time I tasted Single Cut was at the end of a Christmas party
that turned into a massive beer tasting. I remembered absolutely nothing about
it. So, when I saw it was on tap at Amsterdam Alehouse on the Upper West Side I
was eager to give it a second go. Single Cut is in Astoria, Queens which gave
it a boost before I even tried it. At 143 IBUs, it could pack a real punch.
Instead it’s a very balanced mix of bitter and tropical. I’m starting to think I’m
a Double IPA guy.

Saturday – Cappuccino Stout – Lagunitas Brewing Company (Stout

9.2%) – There are a couple craft
breweries that I think of as patriarchs of the industry and so far, none of
them are on the list. This is the first. Sure, they may be a big,
widely-available brand, but I have never been disappointed with their stuff.
Plus, Lagunitas sponsors “This American Life” (Keeping the ‘pub’ in ‘public
radio) and that earns huge bonus points with me. I put a 22 ounce bottle of
Cappuccino Stout in the fridge before heading out for an 18 mile workout
thinking it would be the perfect recovery drink on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I
was right. My two go-to post-run drinks are beer and coffee. This combines the
two perfectly. The coffee taste is immediate and lasts throughout. It's creamy and smooth. This is also
a super-affordable beer, so I’ll be buying it again.

You can and should cry over spilled beer.

Monday – Citra Mantra – Otter Creek Brewing (IPA 5.75%) – Plain old IPAs have sort of
become the least-exciting style of beer. What? No jalapenos, coffee or
grapefruits in this brew? That said, I love drinking a basic, no-frills IPA.
That’s what this is. Sadly, I spilled half of this bottle trying to open it
with one hand. What I was able to salvage was very nice and refreshing. It wasn't
amazing like a Ballast Point Sculpin or a Bells Two-Hearted Ale, but it has a
solid spot among second-tier IPAs like Lagunitas and Great Lakes. If I see it
again, I’ll buy it and try not to spill it.

Tuesday – Low Life -- Evil
Twin Brewing Company (Pilsner 5.5%) – There was a time in my life where St.
Patrick’s Day was a day on which I’d drink Guinness until I couldn't stand up straight.
Then, I’d do some shots. To show how far behind me those days are, I chose a
Pilsner (a PILSNER!) as my St. Patrick’s evening beer. I don’t like to
generalize, but Pilsners suck. I don’t
know if it’s that American breweries are bad at brewing them, or it’s just a
crappy style. Even Evil Twin, which is a great brewery, makes a Pilsner that
conjured up all sorts of memories of beer pong, bars with sticky floors and
drinking in the back of a $1 cab. When I think of the gross last sip of warm
cheap beer no one wants, I think of pilsners. No matter who’s dressing it up, I’m always
going to feel like I’m drinking Beck’s and no one likes Beck’s. No one.
Afterthought: Six Point makes a pilsner called “The Crisp”. It’s not bad, but
drink it fast because a warm pilsner is not your friend.

Friday, March 13, 2015

It dawned on me this week
just how many beers I’m going to be drinking. Am I going to be sick of beer by
Easter? Am I going to be able to go back to NOT drinking a beer when I come
home from work? Am I going to grow a beer belly? Will I have trouble finding
new beers? The answer to all of these questions is probably “no”. So far, I
have not had to force myself to drink a beer at night. I’m pretty much always
in the mood after a long work day. However, some nights it tastes better than
others. A friend told me this week that he never drinks alone. Without an ounce
of shame and perhaps a bit of pride, I was able to tell him that I drink alone
every night.

Wednesday - Sip of Sunshine, Lawson’s Finest
Liquids (Double IPA 8%) – I’m ready to say this is the best beer I
have ever had. Maybe I got an extremely fresh batch. Maybe I was particularly
thirsty every time I have had it, but it goes down easier than any beer I've ever poured. Sip of Sunshine gets overshadowed by its Vermont neighbor, Heady
Topper. It doesn't have the cult status or the adoring fans. However, people
who know beer better than I do (which is to say a lot of people) will tell you
that if you had a choice between the two, this is the one you choose. I drank
my last can of Sip of Sunshine on a cold night and was immediately whisked away
to summer. It has a citrusy taste (although it’s not as citrusy as it smells)
that is both refreshing and hoppy. Trying to taste sunshine? Mission accomplished.

Thursday – Sweet Action, Sixpoint Brewery (Cream Ale 5.2%) – I made a rather disparaging comment in week
one about the low potential of cream ales. When I made the comment I had
clearly forgotten about the delicious cream ale made by Brooklyn's Sixpoint. Sixpoint is
available at any place that sells beer in New York City, but I have been told
it is not readily available outside this area. That’s a shame, because they
have an excellent line up. Sweet Action has a nice cream taste and sessionable
qualities (you could drink a couple and not get drunk/full). I had it on tap at the new bar in my neighborhood,
but I've had it in a can too and it’s equally as good.

Friday – West Coast IPA, Green Flash
Brewing Company (Double IPA 8.1%) – I've mentioned this beer two weeks
in a row, so it’s time I put it on the list. From a brewery that prides itself
on powerful, hoppy beers, this is their best brew. It goes down pretty easy for
an 8% beer. First you taste the malt, then you taste the hops and a nice flavor
lingers. When it comes to widely-available double IPAs, this is your best bet.

Saturday – Hop Drop and Roll, NoDa Brewing Company (IPA 7.2%) – We moved out
of Charlotte nearly four years ago. Since then, approximately 150 breweries
have opened up in the Queen City. When we lived there, it was Old Mecklenburg
and that was it (Try their Copper if you’re ever down south). Like any city
with a pop-up brewing scene, there are hits and misses. Hop, Drop and Roll is a
hit. There a lot of really good IPAs out there, but this one stood out to me
especially for an IPA that is a little on the sweeter side. I’d love to see
this distributed outside of North Carolina.

Monday – Baby Maker, Triple C Brewing (Double IPA 8.0%) – I had the t-shirt for this beer before I
ever actually tasted the beer. That felt wrong to me. It’s like wearing the
t-shirt for a race you didn't run. It’s not for lack of trying. Once I tried to
ship myself a bottle of this and it shattered in transit. Instead I ended up
getting a beer-soaked shoebox full of glass in the mail. A name like Baby Maker implies the
beer is so potent it is going to make you contribute to an unplanned pregnancy.
But, I don’t get that vibe from this beer. This beer is unremarkable in the
sense that nothing about it really stands out. That said, it’s a fine choice
and one I would drink again. It goes down easy, doesn't offend and hides its
ABV pretty well. Now that I write that, I see where this beer could get
dangerous. It comes in 22 ounce bottles and I could see polishing off one or
two of them solo without even noticing.

Tuesday – 2X Stout, Southern Tier Brewing Company (Milk Stout 7.5%) – I believe
it’s impossible to make a bad stout. The style itself, especially the texture,
makes it inherently good. Nothing has proven me wrong yet. As I said last week,
I’ll still happily drink a Guinness if given the choice between that and some
fancy pants saison. Of course, some stouts are better than others and Southern
Tier’s 2X Stout falls into the “others” category. Stouts are often lower-ABV or
mask their ABV. This tastes like every bit of a 7.5% beer. When I drink a milk stout, I want a sweet, milky finish, not a boozy finish. There’s a really good
coffee taste with this beer that I wish stuck around a little longer.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Wednesday - Heady Topper, The Alchemist Brewery (Double IPA 8%) – Let me start by saying that
Heady Topper is a really good beer. Exquisite actually. I’m not an expert, but
it’s one of the best beers I have ever had. If I had access to it, I would
drink it a lot more often. Now that’s out of the way, let me say Heady Topper
is not the best beer in the history of mankind. I don’t even think it’s the
best beer coming out of Vermont and it won’t be best beer on this list of 40.
However, if you go on the internet, you will be lead to believe that Heady
Topper is perfection and it possesses magical powers. You can only buy it at
select retailers in Vermont on certain dates and people wait in long lines for
it. Its cult status was recently profiled in the Boston
Globe. The beer geek website, Beer Advocate, which I visit
roughly 50 times a day, lists Heady as the number one beer among its users. Tracking
down a couple cans in New York City was not easy. I searched Craigslist every
day and communicated with more than one jabroni who wanted to charge me more
than $50 for a four-pack (ironic since the phrase “Don’t Be a D-Bag” is
actually printed on the can). I finally found a guy who was selling it a
reasonable price. Heady retails for $80 a case, but I understand a mark-up for
the convenience of not driving to Vermont and waiting in long lines. I can’t
tell you how Heady pours because the instructions on the can say not to pour it
in a glass. So, I didn't. The mark of a good IPA or DIPA is how well the “hoppiness”
balances with other flavors (in this case citrus and pine) and Heady balances
very well. It has a very smooth finish and…listen, I’m not going to go on and
on about how Heady Topper tastes. It’s all over the internet. It’s good. If you
like IPAs it’s a must try. But after you've tried it, you can go back to
something easier to find and equally as good like a Green Flash West Coast IPA.

Thursday – Grapefruit Sculpin, Ballast Point Brewing Company (IPA 7%) – Fruit beers get a bad rap
thanks to Budweiser’s line of “-aritas”. I generally approach all
fruit-flavored beer with skepticism since even some of my favorite breweries
make fruit beers that I have poured down the drain. But nothing goes better in
an IPA than grapefruit. If you like your beers bitter, the combination of hops
and such a sour fruit is pure perfection. Plain old Sculpin is one of the best
easy-to-find IPAs you can buy and the addition of grapefruit pushes it over the
edge. This is an incredibly delicious and incredibly drinkable brew.

Friday – Big Bear Black Stout, Bear Republic Brewing Company (Imperial
Stout 8.10%) – My introduction to good beers started with Sam Adams and
Guinness. Guinness was the first beer I became a regular drinker of and even
today, I’ll defend it to the death against its many detractors. It’s also the
reason the stout is my favorite style of beer. I seek out good stouts now and
when I found this one on the shelf of my local grocery store, I grabbed a
bunch. Big Bear gets a 100 on Beer Advocate and rightfully so. It has coffee
and licorice smells and malty, caramel tastes. At the same time, it’s not
overly sweet and it doesn't mask the alcohol so much that you could drink
several in quick succession.

Saturday – Void of Light, Gun Hill Brewery (Export
Stout 7.90%) – Two days. Two stouts. I’m embarrassed that this is the first New
York City beer of the 40 Beers 40 Nights challenge. I first tried Void of Light
at a bar in the East Village as we drowned our sorrows over being rejected from
a surprise Foo Fighters show at Irving Plaza. This beer nearly single-handedly
made up for missing the show. You can only get Gun Hill on tap locally or at
the brewery in the Bronx. They brew a bunch of different beers, but I like this
one too much to try another when I wander into a bar that serves Gun Hill. Void
of Light is a fitting name because this stout is very dark. It tastes like black
coffee and chocolate, two things I like almost as much as beer. I want to drink
more of this because I am not sure I can even describe it at this point because
it’s so complex.

Monday – Nugget Nectar, Troegs Brewing Company (Amber Ale 7.5%) – Troegs makes some great
seasonal beers. What’s Christmas without a Mad Elf? This is their spring beer
that does not taste at all like spring. But, I’m not sure it’s supposed conjure
up thoughts of flowers and birds. This is a very malty tasting Amber that is
neither remarkable or offensive. On a warmer night, this would be good to drink
on the patio after a long day at the office, but it’s not something I’ll
actively seek out.

Tuesday – Gonzo, Flying Dog Brewery (Baltic Porter 9.2%) – When I want a dark beer, 9
times out of 10 I’ll go for a stout. I ended up with this porter because I had
been staring at the beer selection at the grocery store for far too long and I
was about to get slapped with a loitering charge. I grabbed it to complete my six
pack and didn't even notice it was a porter until I got home. That’s not to say
there aren't good porters out there. I have just always found porters to be
more “bubbly” and not as “thick” as stouts. That’s super complicated beer
terminology I just used. That said, this beer surprised me by how heavy it was.
It was hoppier than a stout, yet still had a really nice coffee taste. It
worked very well on a night where it felt like winter just won’t end.